"Maya Beano’s photography stands as a meditative counterpoint to the noise of modern visual culture. Her work is a quiet rebellion – one fought not with loud proclamations but with soft colors, patient processes, and poetic intent. Maya's work does more than critique; it reimagines. It fulfills a profoundly sublime politics of art: she uses her creativity to recentre what is important (nature, experience, imagination) and to push back against what is hollow in contemporary image-making. Her art is the pause that refocuses our gaze, reminding us that beyond the hyperreality and urgency of our screens lies a richer, more meaningful visual narrative – one we can choose to embrace."
I was born in Amman, Jordan and have spent half of my life in Jordan and the other half in the UK. Wherever I am, I'm inspired by the weather, the climate and the landscapes around me. My affinity for both science and art has taken me to some of the most remote places on the planet, including the Arctic and Antarctica. In November 2023, I became the first Jordanian scientist to visit Antarctica and the first Jordanian Antarctic Ambassador with IAATO. This was following an expedition to the South Pole region with 100 STEMM experts from across the globe.
My artistic journey started in the early 2010s during my time working as a research scientist in organic chemistry in Cambridge, UK. Inspired by the film photography community online, I began to experiment with 35mm film as a creative outlet and shared my work on Flickr and Instagram.
My works are the result of 10+ years of experimentation with all the tools available to me, including all kinds of cameras, 35mm film, darkroom developing, scanning and editing on my laptop. My process combines traditional manual photography techniques (film) with newer digital methods (scanning the film and editing it).
I enjoy transforming a scene such that it becomes what the mind sees rather than what the camera sees. The aim is not to trick the viewer but to nurture curiosity by treading the fine line between reality and imagination. I take a camera with me wherever I go and am driven to capture places both familiar and new. My love of colour and of timeless landscapes hugely influences my photos - the result is a body of work that is ethereal, playful and melancholic.
My photos have been licensed by companies like Sony, Apple, Instagram and Lexus.